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Maliau Basin Conservation Area is indeed important and worth saving.

Maliau Basin Conservation Area....

• is one of the few remaining areas virtually untouched by man - not just in Sabah and Malaysia, but in the whole World!

• contains unusual forest types and a high botanical diversity.

• is a refuge for rare and endangered animals such as Sumatran Rhino, Banteng, Proboscis Monkey and Asian Elephant.

• boasts extraordinary geomorphological features including an exceptionally high number of waterfalls - probably the highest number of any area in Malaysia.

• is the catchment of one of the headwaters of Sabah's largest and most important rivers- the Kinabatangan.

• offers unique opportunities for research, education and wilderness recreation / eco-tourism.

The 390 km² (39,000 hectares) Maliau Basin was originally part of a 10,000 km² (one million hectares) timber concession belonging to Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation), an organisation formed in 1966 through an Enactment by the State Legislative Assembly, with the objective of improving the standard of living and education of Malaysians in Sabah. In 1981 Yayasan Sabah voluntarily designated Maliau Basin as a Conservation Area for the purposes of research, education and training, along with Danum Valley Conservation Area further to the east.

In 1997 the Maliau Basin Conservation Area was upgraded by the Sabah state government to a Protection (Class One) Forest Reserve and extended to its present size of 588.4 km² (58,840 hectares).

According to the Sabah Forest Enactment, an area under this forest classification cannot be granted timber concession rights. With the publication of the Government Gazette, The Maliau Basin Conservation Area Forest Rules (1998), the legal status and modus operandi of the area was established.

Day to day management of Maliau Basin Conservation Area is carried out by Yayasan Sabah, on behalf of an inter-agency Maliau Basin Management Committee comprising:

• Sabah Forestry Department (Chair),

• Sabah Foundation (Secretariat),

• Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment,

• Universiti Malaysia Sabah ,

• Sabah Wildlife Department,

• Sabah Parks,

• Sabah Museum,

• National University of Malaysia,

• Forest Research Institute of Malaysia,

• University Putra Malaysia,

• University Malaysia Sarawak

• Department of Environment Conservation

• Danum Valley Management Committee

• Department of Town and Regional Planning

• World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia

• Academy of Science Malaysia

• Tawau Municipal Council

• District Office Tongod

• District Office Keningau

• District Office Nabawan

The Maliau Basin Management Committee was established in April 1998 with the responsibility to advise the state government on policy in regard to all aspects of management of the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, according to the rules in the gazetted Order. The current Chairman (1999-2003) of the committee is Mr Daniel Khiong, who is also the Director of the Sabah Forestry Department, while Dr Waidi Sinun from Yayasan Sabah is currently the Secretary.

Maliau Basin Conservation Area is also gazetted under the state Cultural Heritage (Conservation) Enactment 1997, which affords provisions for the preservation, conservation and enhancement of the cultural heritage of Sabah.

In 1999, a four-year project was initiated by Yayasan Sabah in collaboration with DANCED/DANIDA (Danish International Development Assistance) to prepare a management plan for the area and to establish a new facility, the Maliau Basin Studies Centre, at the southeast edge of the Basin, for conservation, research, education and ecotourism purposes. The objective of the project was to secure the conservation of Maliau Basin for the benefit of Sabah, Malaysia and the international community. For more information on this exciting initiative, click Maliau Basin Management Project.